Does gender stereotyping influence labor force participation in the Philippines?

Abstract

We implement a partially linearized Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition to analyze the labor force participation gap. Using data from the merged January 2024 Labor Force Survey and the 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, findings show that over 90 percent of the participation gap arises from the unexplained component which is linked to gender stereotyping. Proxies for the stereotype that men are primary economic providers—such as educational attainment and potential experience—are significant contributors to the unexplained portion, especially for married individuals, but are inconsistent for single individuals. On the other hand, domestic responsibility proxies, such as the nuclear family structure and the presence of children, show negligible or no contributions, indicating that stereotypes assigning household chores and childcare to women do not significantly influence the participation gap. These findings demonstrate that only the stereotype of men as primary economic providers significantly affects the labor participation gap, which is more evident among married individuals and less so among single individuals.

JEL classification: J70, J01